Love & Second Chances

Epilogue

Garrett and I spent a few months getting to know each other again. It was a bit difficult at first, what with myself living in Portsmouth and Garrett living in London, but we made it work. Caroline was finally able to form a relationship with her biological father, as well as meet her other siblings. She often remarked on how she was not sure whether she liked having four brothers, but both of us knew that she was only kidding. She was a very loving girl, and if given the chance, could make friends with almost anyone she met.

It was heart-warming to watch the love of my life interact with our daughter, as well as our grandchildren, something which he had missed out on for so long. It was even sweeter when I found him lying on the floor of the drawing-room, sleeping with one arm wrapped around Caroline and the other around the two grandchildren who were asleep on top of him.

In the spring of 1864, I finally married him. No longer was I Mrs. Elizabeth Gilmore, but was instead Mrs. Elizabeth Blackbourne. It was strange to think of, but it felt as though I had been three different people, each represented by the last name I held. For the first eighteen years of my life, I was known as Elizabeth Stanford; a young heartbroken girl. Then, after my first marriage, which lasted close to thirty-three years, I was known as Elizabeth Gilmore; a cold-hearted and cruel woman who made more enemies than anything else. And now I was Elizabeth Blackbourne; a woman who, despite everything she had done, was able to straighten out her life and find the happy ending that she never thought she would have.

I left Portsmouth and moved with Garrett to his home in London. His four children seemed a bit shy and reluctant towards me at first, but we grew to be quite close with a bit of time. The oldest son, Jasper, and youngest daughter, Grace, were particularly fond of me. They made a habit of coming over for dinner once every week or so. I knew that I could never replace their mother, but I was grateful that they accepted me as their father's new wife. There were even times when they truly felt like my own flesh and blood children, even though I knew otherwise.

The other two were rather neutral about me. They were polite enough and did come to visit from time to time, but they seemed a bit more concerned with their own lives. Lizzie, who ironically enough, was named after me, was married to an important businessman and preferred to socialize with her own group of friends. Michael was busy as well in his own way.

He was quite a bit like his father, rebellious in every possible way. However, the way he lived was much more disgraceful. He was married to a beautiful young actress from America, with a beautiful daughter of his own, yet despite all of this, he had a nasty habit of waking up in the beds of different women. It did not take long until he had sired a couple of children out of wedlock. Unfortunately, there was nothing that his father could do or say to convince him to change his ways. After all, he had sired a child out of wedlock as well.

Caroline eventually moved to Manchester with her family, where they were given the old Blackbourne estate as their new home. Jasper had no desire to claim it as his own, and the other children all had homes of their own, so Garrett insisted that it was only right that he gave it to her, desiring that it stay in the family. It was nice being able to return to that old house to visit. Some of the memories were not the most pleasant, but it still brought a smile to my face when I walked in and saw the dark wood interior and stained glass window that I had always loved.

All things considered, my life was better than I could have ever imagined. Jonathan did eventually come to forgive me and allowed me to form a relationship with his two sons. I was relieved by the fact that all of my children had forgiven me. I knew that it could not have been easy, especially for Jonathan. It amazed me daily how many miracles had taken place since that day in which I gave up my grudges. I once thought that I had committed too many crimes, left with no hope of redemption, but thankfully God saw fit to give me a second chance.

- The End -